12th April 2013
Summer 2010 - Chef profile - Andrew Green
NAME Andrew Green AGE 46 CURRENT JOB General manager for Sodexo at Transport for London
Andrew Green, who has moved into the hot seat as national chairman of the Craft Guild of Chefs, describes himself as an experienced manager in the foodservice and hospitality sectors, with a real passion for quality.
Honing his skills from his early days as a head chef with Compass in the ‘80s, later undertaking catering manager roles for Compass’ Eurest division, and a year with Aramark as operations manager until 2008, he has a clear insight into how good kitchens should operate and how to communicate with chefs on the front line. Currently general manager for contract caterer Sodexo at the Transport for London HQ responsible for a team of 32, he believes his management skills will play a key role in leading the Craft Guild to even better things.
Green has been a Guild member for 29 years and on the committee for 15 years. In the run up to becoming chairman, he was national vice chairman for three years and before that treasurer for seven years –the only Guild member to take on all three positions.
He admits he does not compete on the culinary competition circuit but his involvement behind the scenes in a host of competitions and events is extensive. For many years, for example, he has represented the Craft Guild in judging the foodservice category of the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) Awards and the South Asia Culinary Competition (SACC).
Had you a plan in mind for the Craft Guild when you took over as chairman?
We talk about legacies and there are a few things up my sleeve for the future of the Guild. This includes setting small challenges every six months. From now until the end of the year, for example, I want every single member, not just the committee, to get another member. We also need to think about our building. We’ve just invested in it but, if we were to sell, could we build a school, or look for a space with a development kitchen? Something to think about.
Have your past Guild roles helped to mould your thinking?
I was treasurer for seven years. In fact only the second treasurer since 1965 as Bruce Saunders held the role for 33 years in a row. When I became vice chair in 2005, I was asked to continue with that job as well. Being treasurer gave me a greater understanding of what we are about. Apart from looking after the revenue, you are looking after the trustees, the head office, and everything involved in running the Guild successfully. When I took on the job, everything was done manually and I computerised it to move us forward into the 21st century. I was lucky to work under David Mulcahy to start with and then Steve Munkley who gave me a free hand. It was a case of “you’ve been picked by the members to do the job and you need to be the one advising us” approach. I was with Eurest working at sites such as 10 Downing Street as a manager when I became treasurer. When I was asked to take on the vice chairman role, I spent weeks thinking about it. It was a big undertaking; you aren’t taking the position for three years but six – three as vice chairman and then three as chairman.
You gave up being a chef to become a manager. Why?
My last chef job was in 1994. I gave it up because I’d worked as director chef manager enjoying fine dining and catering for small parties where I could use my creativity and skill, but I didn’t want to be running around a kitchen anymore. I then decided to move into management and became general deputy manager for the bank Credit Suisse. The good thing is I can still talk to a chef as a chef and work with them.
What lies ahead to enhance the Guild’s standing in the industry?
The Guild is on the advisory board for the 2012 OIympics. We are the only chef association involved and we’ve given advice on the Olympic Village’s catering needs. I’ve sub contracted this job to Martin Bates and Lee Maycock. It’s important to share jobs so that we do them well. All a chairman is, is a manager of people. My style of management will be to use more people, share the workload and create roles in the Guild. Already I’ve changed the structure of committee meetings; everyone now submits reports that can be read at leisure. The meetings are for strong dialogue and making decisions and, instead of being held at the Richmond office, they are held at other venues. It stops people becoming stale. Another string to our bow is the food development arm. The Guild is now full of great chefs and it’s about fitting them into what we want and utilising their skills.
Honing his skills from his early days as a head chef with Compass in the ‘80s, later undertaking catering manager roles for Compass’ Eurest division, and a year with Aramark as operations manager until 2008, he has a clear insight into how good kitchens should operate and how to communicate with chefs on the front line. Currently general manager for contract caterer Sodexo at the Transport for London HQ responsible for a team of 32, he believes his management skills will play a key role in leading the Craft Guild to even better things.
Green has been a Guild member for 29 years and on the committee for 15 years. In the run up to becoming chairman, he was national vice chairman for three years and before that treasurer for seven years –the only Guild member to take on all three positions.
He admits he does not compete on the culinary competition circuit but his involvement behind the scenes in a host of competitions and events is extensive. For many years, for example, he has represented the Craft Guild in judging the foodservice category of the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) Awards and the South Asia Culinary Competition (SACC).
Had you a plan in mind for the Craft Guild when you took over as chairman?
We talk about legacies and there are a few things up my sleeve for the future of the Guild. This includes setting small challenges every six months. From now until the end of the year, for example, I want every single member, not just the committee, to get another member. We also need to think about our building. We’ve just invested in it but, if we were to sell, could we build a school, or look for a space with a development kitchen? Something to think about.
Have your past Guild roles helped to mould your thinking?
I was treasurer for seven years. In fact only the second treasurer since 1965 as Bruce Saunders held the role for 33 years in a row. When I became vice chair in 2005, I was asked to continue with that job as well. Being treasurer gave me a greater understanding of what we are about. Apart from looking after the revenue, you are looking after the trustees, the head office, and everything involved in running the Guild successfully. When I took on the job, everything was done manually and I computerised it to move us forward into the 21st century. I was lucky to work under David Mulcahy to start with and then Steve Munkley who gave me a free hand. It was a case of “you’ve been picked by the members to do the job and you need to be the one advising us” approach. I was with Eurest working at sites such as 10 Downing Street as a manager when I became treasurer. When I was asked to take on the vice chairman role, I spent weeks thinking about it. It was a big undertaking; you aren’t taking the position for three years but six – three as vice chairman and then three as chairman.
You gave up being a chef to become a manager. Why?
My last chef job was in 1994. I gave it up because I’d worked as director chef manager enjoying fine dining and catering for small parties where I could use my creativity and skill, but I didn’t want to be running around a kitchen anymore. I then decided to move into management and became general deputy manager for the bank Credit Suisse. The good thing is I can still talk to a chef as a chef and work with them.
What lies ahead to enhance the Guild’s standing in the industry?
The Guild is on the advisory board for the 2012 OIympics. We are the only chef association involved and we’ve given advice on the Olympic Village’s catering needs. I’ve sub contracted this job to Martin Bates and Lee Maycock. It’s important to share jobs so that we do them well. All a chairman is, is a manager of people. My style of management will be to use more people, share the workload and create roles in the Guild. Already I’ve changed the structure of committee meetings; everyone now submits reports that can be read at leisure. The meetings are for strong dialogue and making decisions and, instead of being held at the Richmond office, they are held at other venues. It stops people becoming stale. Another string to our bow is the food development arm. The Guild is now full of great chefs and it’s about fitting them into what we want and utilising their skills.